Long before we had roving journalists, there was Tintin, the young Belgian reporter who travelled around the world, and even to outer space, with his fox terrier Snowy. Together, they uncovered evil plots and saved innocent people from baddies using smarts and common sense.
Tintin, with his round face, blond quiff and plus fours, was created in 1929 by Brussels-born illustrator Georges Rémi under the pen name, Hergé. The Adventures of Tintin first appeared as a comic strip in the weekly youth supplement, Le Petit Vingtième (The Little Twentieth). Hergé produced 23 albums. His 24th, Tintin and Alph-Art, was incomplete when he died in 1983 at the age of 75.
Eight albums from the series will be shown at The World of Tintin from Nov 17 to Dec 26 at ArtisTree, Hong Kong’s new performance-arts-centric venue at Quarry Bay. The immersive exhibition is presented by the Hong Kong Contemporary Art Foundation in collaboration with Belgium’s Hergé Museum.
The display traces Hergé’s career through albums set in the social and political contexts of the 20th century, such as Tintin in America, Cigars of the Pharaoh, The Blue Lotus, The Broken Ear, King Ottokar’s Sceptre, The Shooting Star, The Red Sea Sharks and Tintin in Tibet.
A two-day public conference on the importance of comic art in contemporary society as well as comic art workshops for students will be held concurrently. Tintinologist Michael Farr will deliver a keynote lecture at the conference while panellists will explore Tintin’s legacy.
Visitors to the exhibition will get to see three specially-created models — a large diorama of the ticker-tape parade in Chicago from Tintin in America, his apartment and a collector’s model of a street filled with signature Tintin cars.
They can also shop for Tintin books, gifts and memorabilia at three pop-up stores at ArtisTree, CityPlaza and Central. The World of Tintin is open from noon to 8pm, Wednesday to Sunday. For more information, visit www.hoca.org or www.museeherge.com.
